We Happy Few | Band of Brothers

Chapter 68: The Three Muskateers

After a wonderful dinner made by Frances that left Margot with a full stomach and a content smile on her face, she joined Bill on the couch in the living room and mouthed a 'thank you' when the woman placed a steaming cup of tea down in front of her. 

Picking up the mug with two hands, Margot blew softly on the liquid for a few seconds before taking a sip. With a slight recoil at the hot temperature, she set the mug back down, her tongue stinging a little from the heat. 

"I'm still so used to hot drinks never actually being hot." Margot chuckled as she sat back into the couch and tucked her legs underneath herself. 

"It took me a while to get used to that as well," Bill agreed as he shifted slightly, a look of discomfort on his face as he winced. 

Sitting down on the chair beside the couch, Frances leaned over and gently rested her hand on Bill's leg where the skin met the prosthetic. With a squeeze, she looked up at him. "Still hurts?"

"Ah, it's okay." Bill's hand moved over top of France's as he flashed her a reassuring smile. "I'll be okay."

Margot watched as the two conversed, almost as if she were a fly on the wall. It brought her great joy to see just how well Bill was being taken care of and it alleviated all of the worries she ever held for him. Even just based on the few hours she had been there, Margot could already tell that Bill was in good hands and that he was as happy as he could possibly be. Frances was his ray of sunshine after a long, cold, hard winter. 

After the couple shared a quick kiss, Frances turned to Margot and clasped her hands together. "So you have to tell me, what was it like spending years surrounded by nothing but men?" She giggled softly as she peered at Bill out of the corner of her eye. "If they were all anything like Bill over here, I'm sure it must have been horrible."

Bill scoffed. "Hey, I was a good boy."

"Yeah, well, now there's actually someone here who can tell me the truth." Frances gave him a pat on the thigh. 

Margot shook her head. "Actually, it wasn't as bad as it seems. After the first few weeks of boot camp the guys started to open up to the concept of women in the army; not that they had much of a choice one way or the other though. It did help that I wasn't the only woman, however."

"Right." Frances nodded as she took the first sip of her own tea. "Annie, right? The medic?"

"Yup, I actually just came from her place."

Bill's eyebrows quirked. "You were staying with her? What happened to that big farmhouse and shooting range you always talked about? What happened to trying to patch things up with your dad?" 

"My dad killed himself." Margot pretty much shrugged it off. At that point, she saw no reason in letting it upset her anymore because if she were being honest with herself, the dad she had loved and grown up with had died years ago. "I couldn't stay in the house anymore. I had to let that chapter of my life go. It was time to move on."

Bill wrapped an arm around Margot's shoulders and rubbed her upper arm. "I'm sorry to hear that, Margot." He knew a simple sentiment was all she really needed or wanted. "So how's Annie doing?"

"She's doing really well." Margot's mood lifted at the mention of her friend. "She's back home with her family and she seems to be getting by as well as anyone can hope for at this point."

"That's good." Bill smiled. "And did she ever end up with anyone? George? Joe? Did she get back together with that ex of hers, Steve?"

"Nope, nope, and nope," Margot answered. "I don't think she's looking for anything like that right now. I think that, just like the rest of us, she is just trying to get back on her feet again."